Smile (1975 film)
| runtime = 117 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = }} Smile is a 1975 DeLuxe Color satirical comedy-drama film directed by Michael Ritchie with a screenplay by Jerry Belson about a beauty pageant in Santa Rosa, California. It stars Bruce Dern and Barbara Feldon and introduced a number of young actresses who later went on to larger roles, such as Melanie Griffith. The film satirizes small-town America and its peculiarities, hypocrisies and artifice within and around the pageant. The film was subsequently adapted into a 1986 Broadway musical with songs by Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Ashman. Plot The plot revolves around the contestants and people involved with the California pageant of the fictional Young American Miss Pageant, held in Santa Rosa, California. Big Bob Freelander, the head judge, is a used car dealer. Brenda DiCarlo, is the pageant's Executive Director, and her husband Andy is an alcoholic. In separate subplots, the film focuses on Andy's unhappiness, as he is about to be inducted into a fraternal society, which requires a humiliating ritual, Little Bob, Big Bob's son, who conspires with his friends to photograph the contestants in various states of undress, and the activities of the contestants themselves. Wilson Shears, the pageant producer, clashes with a choreographer brought in from Hollywood, Tommy French, who is cynical and blunt. Andy refuses to go along with the induction ceremony, which involves kissing the behind of a dead chicken. Brenda discovers him at home, apparently about to commit suicide with a gun. She tries to talk him out of it, and he decides she is the real problem and shoots her, wounding her. He is jailed, but she refuses to press charges and Andy is released. Big Bob tries to convince him to not move from town. The show becomes more expensive than was anticipated, and Shears pressures French to remove a ramp, because it is taking up seating. This results in an injury to a contestant, and French agrees to reinstate the ramp and to make up the difference out of his fee. The pageant concludes successfully, though the contestants that have been the focus of the film's attention do not win. Cast * Bruce Dern as Big Bob Freelander * Barbara Feldon as Brenda DiCarlo * Michael Kidd as Tommy French * Geoffrey Lewis as Wilson Shears * Eric Shea as Little Bob * Nicholas Pryor as Andy * Titos Vandis as Emile * Paul Benedict as Orren Brooks * William Traylor as Ray Brandy * Dennis Dugan as Logan * Kate Sarchet as Judy – Young American Miss * Joan Prather as Robin – Young American Miss * Denise Nickerson as Shirley – Young American Miss * Melanie Griffith as Karen – Young American Miss * Annette O'Toole as Doria – Young American Miss * Maria O'Brien as Maria – Young American Miss * Colleen Camp as Connie – Young American Miss * Caroline Williams as Helga – Young American Miss * Shawn Christianson as Young American Miss/Winner Production Smile was filmed on location in and around Santa Rosa, with the pageant held at Veteran's Memorial Auditorium. Reception Smile was well received upon release, with praise for the humour, satire and performances. Vincent Canby of The New York Times declared Jerry Belson's screenplay "excellent" and added: "Smile, which is Mr. Ritchie's best film to date (better than both Downhill Racer and The Candidate), questions the quality of our fun, while adding to it." Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying that though "Ritchie has so many targets that he misses some and never quite gets back to others," the film still "does a good job of working over the hypocrisy and sexism of a typical beauty pageant." The film holds a 100% "fresh" rating on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes. See also * List of American films of 1975 * ''Nashville'' – Another satirical American film, released the same year, directed by Robert Altman. This film looks at the lives of several individuals leading up to and around a local concert. References External links * * * [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1019234-smile/ Smile] at Rotten Tomatoes * * Category:1975 films Category:1970s comedy-drama films Category:American films Category:American comedy-drama films Category:American satirical films Category:Beauty pageant films Category:English-language films Category:Films directed by Michael Ritchie Category:Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area Category:United Artists films Category:Screenplays by Jerry Belson